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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · scale · stem · charge · safe · fan · march · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stem — to come from
  3. charge — a price
  4. key — in music
  5. field — for sport
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. charge — in control
  8. field — farmland
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. scale — size or range
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. charge — electricity
  13. march — the month
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. march — music
  20. scale — in music
  21. march — the month
  22. field — a subject
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com